FHA Requirements

Closing Costs and Allowable Charges

While FHA requirements define which closing costs are allowable as charges to the borrower, the specific costs and amounts that are deemed reasonable and customary are determined by each local FHA office. All other costs are generally not allowed and are usually paid by the seller when buying a new home, or paid by the lender when refinancing your exising FHA loan.

FHA Loan Articles

Appraisals are an important part of the FHA loan process, and we get plenty of questions about what may or may not be acceptable in the appraisal. For some, depending on the age and design of the home, crawlspaces can be a worry.

There are situations where a buyer wants to purchases a home with an FHA loan and the seller will try to sweeten the deal by offering to include personal property such as appliances, vehicles, or other items. Including such things would require the lender to deduct the value of all the included items from the loan amount.

The answer to this question is fairly simple. Any FHA borrower with a forward mortgage longer than 15 years (excluding the exceptions mentioned above) who has an FHA loan case number assigned on or after January 26, 2015 is eligible for the new, lower annual MIP.

FHA made an announcement about cuts in the annual mortgage insurance premium (MIP) in a preliminary January 2015 announcment. The new FHA policy reduces the rate for most Title II forward mortgages with terms greater than 15 years.

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Helping Homeowners Get Loans

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